Barrack and Grimes allegedly conspired to take advantage of Barrack’s close relationship with Trump by promoting the UAE’s interests through media interviews, supporting a preferred UAE candidate to serve as US ambassador to the country, helping UAE officials in their relations with the White House. and by pushing back against a proposed summit at Camp David to resolve a dispute involving Qatar and the Gulf states. The summit never happened.
Barrack and Grimes have pleaded not guilty and deny any wrongdoing.
Emirati Rashid Al Malik fled the US in April 2018, three days after being interviewed by the FBI. He remains free. The trial is expected to challenge the US government’s use of the Foreign Agents Act and comes as the Justice Department has stepped up its prosecution of unidentified foreign lobbying and related activities. Barrack and Grimes were charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of acting as foreign agents without notifying the Justice Department under Section 951 of the penal code, which national security officials have called “espionage.” They face a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted.
Barak was also charged with obstructing a grand jury investigation and six counts of making false statements during an FBI interview in June 2019. The obstruction charge carries up to 20 years in prison. Lawyers for Barrack and Grimes argued that prosecutors were trying to criminalize free speech and charged the men with a law usually reserved for spies. “Mr. Barak was never an agent of the UAE, nor did he commit obstruction or make false statements. There is absolutely no basis for the charges against Mr. Barak,” his lawyers wrote in a court filing. The foreign agent case could affect whether prosecutors can prove that Barrack and Grimes had an “agreement” to act under the “direction or control” of UAE officials. Lawyers for Barrack and Grimes, who was 22 at the time, said their clients never had an agreement to work for the UAE. “Although Section 951 has existed in some form for more than a century, it has never before been used against a person in Mr. Grimes’ position. Never. There’s a good reason for that. The statute, which targets spies and others who engage in criminal activity, does not apply to Mr. Grimes’ alleged conduct,” his lawyers wrote.

Former White House officials could testify

Two unidentified former White House officials could be called as witnesses by either the prosecution or defense teams, a court has ruled.
The prosecution’s case is expected to rely heavily on numerous text messages and emails sent between the three men between 2016 and 2018. The trial is expected to last four weeks. The testimony and evidence will resurrect names from Trump’s orbit, including campaign advisers Paul Manafort and Steve Bannon, son-in-law and former White House adviser Jared Kushner and former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, according to the court filings. The trial comes as Trump is back in the spotlight, possibly announcing a 2024 presidential run and facing multiple criminal investigations. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

“I nailed it for the hosts”

According to the indictment, the alleged foreign agent scheme ran from April 2016, during the presidential campaign, to April 2018, well into Trump’s first year in office.
Prosecutors allege that in 2016, Barrack and Grimes received talking points from UAE officials about Barrack’s television appearances in which he promoted UAE interests. After one performance, Barak emailed Al Malik, “I nailed it… for the home team,” referring not to the United States but to the United Arab Emirates, according to the charges. In another instance, prosecutors allege that, in April 2017, Barak told Al Malik that Barak himself was being considered by Trump to become either US ambassador to the UAE or special envoy to the Middle East. Barack’s appointment to any post “would give ABU DHABI more power!” he said to Al Malik. “That will be great for us,” Al Malik replied. “And make you deliver more. Very effective operation.” Barack replied, “And great for you!” Barrack was never appointed to any position. At the same time, prosecutors allege that Barak received $374 million for his California investment firm from two Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds. According to the indictment, an investment tracker credited “Barrack Magic” with most of the investment.